The Revitalist

Globe St. reports on a new survey from the Saint Index that indicates that the public is fed up with "development" (via Planetizen). One in five people in the survey say that they opposed development in their community. Not surprisingly, Walmart is a favorite whipping boy, although a majority say that they would support a Walmart in a nearby community, just not theirs. Classic. Seventy-five percent gave their elected officials a grade C or worse on the issue of development, and a whopping 93% said that a candidate's position on development affects their voting decision. The article points out that "political due diligence" could now become just as important a factor for developers as financial feasibility.

I would be interested in seeing a trend like this over a longer period of time. Are people anti-development now because they are genuinely responding to the growth and infrastructure pressures they see around them or is a response to perceived threats resulting from media coverage? Are they really worried about politicians handing out favors because its an issue in their community or because of recent negative press nationally? How much of this is a cyclical response to national or regional growth cycles?